Simpson Shadehouse - Adelaide Botanic Gardens

04 December 2015

There are 105 or so species of Crinum lilies of which 4 are native to Australia. This one has been grown from one that has been in my family since about 1955 when my parents moved into the house where Lance Hill made the first Hills Hoist so it's possible that he or his wife planted it there. I suspect it's Crinum moorei which is a South African species. These are very easy to grow and this particular species ends up producing enormous bulbs which can sit on top of soil and send down roots. I've had one clump sitting on gravel and ignored for months and it's beginning to flower!